by Lisa Cardiff
He closed his eyes tightly and sucked his lip into his mouth. His lip ring was gone this morning and she kind of missed it. He must have left at some point this morning or last night to shower and change clothes. At that thought, she remembered vomiting on him and she ducked her head. Oh shit. Here came the complete and utter mortification. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting anything to do with her. Who would when she shelled him with vomit at least two times that she recalled and who the hell knew what she did while she slept?
Tangling his hands into her hair, he tipped her head up, forcing her to look at him. “I’m sorry about the way I handled things yesterday morning. I’m not good at relationships—even short ones. I tend to wreck everything before its get too far, so I haven’t bothered in a long time.”
Oh fabulous, now he wanted to go into the convenient details of why he couldn’t be with her again. Her eyes fluttered around the room, frantically searching for something other than his face to zero in on because looking at him was hard. He distracted her. He sucked her in and twisted her into millions of tiny knots until she couldn’t think straight and she could only focus on him. “Apology accepted,” she whispered. “Now, can we move on to something else? This is too much for me this morning.”
“No, I owe you an explanation.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he covered her mouth with his hand. “Don’t interrupt me. I have more to say.” Even though his voice was curt and direct, a smile curled the corner of his lips.
She nodded and he dropped his hand from her mouth.
“My life is crazy and there are so many things about me you don’t know. I have a lot of baggage—too much for a nice girl like you from a small town with a nice, caring family and a bright future. I’m everything that you should stay away from. I’m wrong for you. You’ve got to know that, and if you don’t, then believe me when I say you don’t want to get involved with me more than you already are.”
Her eyes blinked rapidly, her lips twitched, and then she couldn’t stop herself. She laughed, a big laugh that started in her belly and exploded from her mouth. “What kind of melodramatic bullshit is that? Is that the best explanation you can come up with to push me away? You told me you needed me before sleeping with me and then kicked me out the following morning with some pathetic excuse.” She jumped out of her seat, feeling the anger she buried in too many drinks the previous day erupting out of her. “I didn’t expect anything from you. I get that you’re leaving in two weeks and I will likely never see you again after you leave Montana and go back to your fancy job in LA, but I don’t know…” She tugged at the ends of her hair, not sure what she wanted to say. It sounded stupid to say that she thought they had some sort of connection or that she thought he cared about her.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her flush against his body before he snaked his arms around her waist. At that instant, his dark blue eyes were infinite, like the depths of the Pacific Ocean and little creases marred the smooth lines of his broad forehead. “You don’t get it. I look at you and I see the perfect woman, and it kills me to say it, but I can’t have you. I’ll mess you up just like I have everyone who has ever been a part of my life and you’ll end up hating me. I don’t want that.”
“Maybe I like the way you mess me up. I’m not perfect, nobody is. Why don’t you let me in and see where this goes?” As she looked at his beautiful face—the little scar marring his eyebrow, his slightly crooked nose, his pouty lower lip, and the black tattoos peeking out of the top of his shirt—she knew she didn’t want him to walk away from her yet. She wanted to spend more time with him.
“Little Violet.” He whispered her name like a benediction as his fingertips skated down the sides of her face to her neck before resting on the tops of her shoulders. “There is nothing I want more, but—”
It was her turn to cup her hand over his lips. “No buts. Let’s have fun together and see where it goes for the next few weeks. We both know it has a definite expiration date, so there won’t be any hurt feelings or crazy expectations.”
He nipped at the palm of her hand and she snatched her hand back. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I know I’ll end up hurting you again,” he said, his eyes burning up her body like nothing she’d ever felt before from a mere look. God, this man made her weak. Where was her self-respect? If he didn’t want anything to do with her, why did she keep pushing him to give her something?
“Friends, then. Can we still be friends?”
“Friends,” he said, almost as if he were testing the sound of the idea. He leaned his forehead against hers. She wanted to kiss him, but she held back. His hands moved from her shoulders down her arms and rested on her hips. She shivered, just a slight tremor that reminded her how much her body craved him. “I don’t know. I can’t forget the taste of your lips or the feel of you sprawled out underneath me, and none of that is beneficial to a healthy friendship. No, I don’t think it will work.”
She blinked a few times. “Then just be with me…for now,” she said as she pressed her lips against his, her eyes open and pleading with him. She didn’t care if she sounded pathetic and unusually forward. The time she’d have with him was fleeting, precious even, and she didn’t want to waste one minute of it because she may never get more time with a man like Alec. “You know you want to explore this.”
His hands slipped under her shirt, his fingertips making small circles on the bare skin of her stomach and just like that her hangover disappeared. In its place, a small fever started under his fingertips, snaking out, making her skin feel too tight and her breath too fast and she wanted to drown in his deep blue eyes. “I do, but fuck, Violet, you deserve so much more. I tried to get rid of you yesterday morning, not because I don’t like you, because I do, but because you were already inching under my skin.” He released a dark, muted laugh. “I need to end this and say goodbye, but now I don’t think I can.”
“Don’t give me what you think I deserve, give me what I want. The rest will sort itself out.”
Tipping his head up toward the ceiling, he closed his eyes, his breath ragged. “You really want this, Little Violet, because there’s no going back.”
She cupped his face with her hands. “Yes,” she answered, lifting up onto the tips of her bare toes. As she brushed her lips across his, his eyes were still closed and he didn’t make any move to kiss her back. His lips remained frozen and mulish against hers.
Just when she was beginning to experience the sting of rejection hollowing out her heart, his eyes opened and he cradled her head his hands. “All right, Little Violet, let’s try this. I can’t promise I won’t hurt you or make dumb decisions, but I want to see where this goes even if it only means two weeks,” he said, tracing the peaks and valleys of her lips with his roughened fingertip.
“Two weeks for us. No strings. No promises, just us enjoying our time together.” She cocked her head to the side. “I like it. Let’s do this.”
And then he laughed. “Yes, Violet.” He brushed his warm, moist lips across hers. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Why are you making me get dressed again?” Violet asked as she rummaged through her drawers.
“It’s a surprise. Just put on anything. We’re going to be late.”
She tossed a t-shirt at him. “Do you know how hard it is to find something to wear in my hungover state, much less find something comfortable?”
He stepped behind her, circling his arms around her dainty waist. He loved her subtle, yet sexy curves and the way her long blonde hair reached the middle of her back. “A dress,” he whispered against her ear.
“What?” she said, two little lines making an appearance between her eyebrows as she looked at him over her shoulder.
He smoothed the lines. “Yes, a dress. No color coordination is necessary and it should be loose enough that it’s comfortable.”
“Ah.” She pushed his arms away as she leapt in the direction of her closet. “Did I ever tell yo
u you’re brilliant?”
“No, but I’ll take all the praise you want to offer. I’m greedy like that.”
“I have a feeling you get more than your fair share of praise with or without mine.”
He nodded as he fingered a few dresses hanging in her closet. “Some,” he answered, his voice barely audible. He did get praise—praise from his fans and sometimes from music critics, but more often than not, it felt empty and unearned in his twisted mind.
“This one is perfect,” Violet said, pulling out a white shift dress with corded lace lining the bottom.
He eyed the dress and the triumphant smile on her sexy, yet innocent lips and cursed the surprise waiting for her at the Foundation. She was intoxicating in the best possible way and he couldn’t stop himself from sampling her at that moment even if her house were on fire.
Grabbing her hips, he pulled her against him, needing to be connected to her. “Let me help you get dressed,” he said, his voice quivering with longing. Something about this girl made him want a future filled with love, laughter, and the American dream.
She shook her head. “I’m good.”
Too bad. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. The possessive need to see her body again in the light of day roared through him. “Take this off,” he practically growled as he tore her t-shirt over her head, tossing it on the floor next to their feet. His eyes zeroed in on her naked breasts, completely exposed, just aching for his touch. His breath irregular, his fingertips traced her nipples before lowering his head and pulling one into his mouth. He had to taste her, just a quick nibble. They didn’t have time for much more, but that didn’t mean he didn’t intend to take advantage of the situation.
When her hands circled his shoulders, pulling him closer, he moved to the other nipple, giving it equal attention, flicking his tongue over the hard bud, wishing he’d worn his lip ring so he could run it along her sensitized flesh. “You taste amazing. Did I tell you that the other night?”
She shook her head, pulling his lips to hers. The instant his lips touched hers, he sucked her lower lip into his mouth, wanting to claim her and pull her inside of him in any way she’d allow. It was crazy, but the urgency surging through him was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and he barely held back a groan. How could he have wanted to push her away? She was delicious and the way she melted into him, trusting him with her body and heart, made him want to throw her down on the bed, the surprise be damned. She was going to ruin him for anyone else and he was starting to think that wasn’t such a bad thing. Violet would be a hard act to follow and not just because he loved every inch of her body and her adorable dimples, but because she was beautiful inside and out.
With that thought, he pulled his lips from hers, taking in her dazed eyes and pleasure-drunk lips. As much as he was beginning to feel as though he wanted—no needed—Violet in his life, he didn’t know if it were possible, because like always, he had secrets. Secrets that would hurt her and rock her trust in him. Not telling her who he really was from the moment he met her would probably bite him in the ass, but he didn’t want to tell her yet. He liked the simplicity of being with her without the baggage of Chasing Ruin and his convoluted history.
Grabbing the dress from her hands, he slid it off the hanger and pulled it over her head. “You look beautiful,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek, loving that she let him take care of her. “You ready?”
“Yes, even though I don’t like the idea of leaving my house this afternoon. After last night, I thought I’d be entitled to a full day of rest.” She slipped on some gold flip-flops.
“You can rest. I’ll do the work.”
“Work? There’s work involved in this surprise?” she mockingly pouted. “I like this less and less by the minute.”
“You’ll love it.” He paused, his eyes caressing her and soaking her in. Now that he agreed to be with her for the next two weeks, he had every intention of enjoying every part of her while it lasted. He may be wrong for her in the long run, but in the short term, he’d give her everything she needed and more.
Grabbing his hand, she pulled him toward the door. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
***
When Alec stopped his truck in front of the Foundation, she didn’t know what to expect. Earlier, she was sure they were going to dinner, a movie, or something like that despite his reference to work, but now she was confused.
“What are we doing?”
Smiling, Alec pulled his keys out of the ignition. Without saying another word, he walked around the front of his truck and opened her door, holding his hand out to help her down. Now she understood why most trucks had running boards. With the slightly lifted height of his truck, she felt awkward stepping out with her dress, even if it was loose around her legs. All she needed was to face plant into the asphalt parking lot and her weekend would be complete.
“Are you going to answer me?”
He chuckled, interlacing his fingers between hers, and as much as she knew she shouldn’t react, her heart danced in her chest. This is only two weeks, she repeated in her head until she felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She had to remind herself that they weren’t playing for keeps. Their relationship was all about the present and she couldn’t let herself forget that, not even for a second.
“And for some reason I thought my Little Violet had patience. Who would have known?”
“Whatever…on any other day, but right now I’d rather climb back into my bed and not surface until tomorrow morning.”
Pausing, he raised one eyebrow, the one with the little white scar marring its perfection, but somehow making him even more alluring than if it wasn’t there. “If you plan on sharing your bed with me, then I’d be happy to ditch the surprise and reschedule for another day because there’s nothing I’d like more than to spend the day getting up close and personal with you.”
Admittedly, her heart swelled a little bit, probably too much for the finite nature of their relationship, which made her achingly aware that it was probably to her benefit that they only had two more weeks together. Any more time than that and she’d be irrevocability and unconditionally in love with the sexy as all hell man standing in front of her. “I’m good for now.”
“Keys,” he said, holding his hand out in front of her, his voice laced with amusement.
She handed him her keys, never taking her eyes off the way his t-shirt strained across his back with each motion.
“Now what?” she said as he flung the door open.
Just then a white van pulled into the parking lot.
“We watch them unload the new equipment for the music room.”
“Seriously?” she asked as a man rolled up the back door of the van.
“I walked into the music room last week and I couldn’t believe how sad it looked.”
She shook her head. “I know, but I don’t have anyone to teach the kids.”
“You have the money to hire someone now.”
She smiled. “You’re right. I totally do.”
Leaping toward him, she wrapped her arms and legs around his body as she showered kisses all over his face. “I love it. The kids will love it. Oh my God, I have so much work to do to get this ready and find a music teacher.”
“Is that bad?”
“No.”
His fingers skated under the hem of her dress, burning a trail of heat up the back of her thighs and she whimpered next to his ear.
“You can show me just how much you appreciate my donation when we don’t have an audience,” he whispered, letting her legs slowly slide down his body until she was standing again.
“Wait,” she said, the minute her feet hit the ground. “You used your own money for this?”
“Of course,” he said, grabbing her hand again and pulling her to the van.
“It’s too much.” She shook her head. “You can’t do this.”
“It’s not enough and I already did,” he shot bac
k. “Now let’s show them where to put it.”
“What are we going to do with the old stuff?” She hated the idea of dumping it all in the trash, even if most of it was worthless and didn’t work.
“They’re taking it with them. They’ll refurbish what they can and throw away anything that isn’t salvageable.”
An hour later, she sat on a stool watching Alec tinker with the drum set. “I can’t believe you didn’t play in a band at some point. You’re pretty good, you know.”
He looked up as he twirled the drumsticks through his fingertips. “You think so?”
“Yeah. For a guy who sits behind a desk all day, you have some talent,” she teased.
“Who said I sit behind a desk all day?” he asked, crossing his legs at his ankles and leaning back in the small wooden chair.
She lifted one of her shoulders, shrugging before she crossed the room to be next to him. “Working at a talent agency seems like a desk job, but what do I know? I don’t really run in your circle, brushing up with the talented and the famous on a daily basis. You probably live a surreal life filled with actors and musicians. I barely recognize the latest Top Forty songs.” She laughed, holding her hands out in front of her. “Or even one that’s been on the radio for the last six months. Did I tell you I’m hopelessly and irrevocably tone deaf? I couldn’t hold a note if I tried. It’s sad, really.”
His jaw noticeably clenched, he looked away momentarily and her stomach dropped. She didn’t mean to offend him. He was hard to read, but as she searched her mind she couldn’t pinpoint anything in particular. All her commentary seemed more or less innocuous and directed mostly at herself. Bending over his back, she placed hands on his shoulders. “Did I say something wrong?”
He dropped his drumsticks on the ground, then he pulled her into his lap. “No,” he said as he positioned her back against his chest, his hands on her thighs, rubbing aimless circles on her skin, moving higher and higher, but not high enough. He pushed her hair behind her ear before leaning forward to trail liquid kisses along the side of her neck.